"You Only Live Twice," released in 1967, sends agent 007 to Japan on a mission to find a SPECTRE base that’s been pilfering space capsules and creating the potential for conflict between the United States and Soviet Union. As the fifth film in the series, this one significantly increased the level of action and spy elements, feeling more lively than what came before. The spy aspects themselves are frequently exaggerated to the point where they border on being a cartoon, which is something another reviewer also noticed—he said that this movie provided the Austin Powers films with much of their inspiration, and he wasn’t wrong. A particular sequence reminded me of a "Gilligan's Island" episode where Gilligan dreamed about becoming Agent 014 (remember the soup spoon?). It’s easy to see how the franchise became sillier in the seventies—it seemed like a natural progression from here. Setting aside those outlandish spy situations, "You Only Live Twice" delivers everything you would expect from a Bond film: action, mystery, gadgets, attractive women, stunning locations, and larger-than-life antagonists. The plot is engaging enough to hold your attention and even creates tension as it moves from one action sequence to the next, leading up to a dramatic ending. It’s no surprise that it was a major success when it came out in 1967. The movie has a running time of 1 hour and 57 minutes and was filmed primarily in Japan, along with locations in England, Spain, and Gibraltar. GRADE: A-

Source on TMDB